Abstract
BackgroundRubella infection in pregnant women can result in serious effects, such as miscarriages, stillbirths, and congenital rubella syndrome (CRS). However, very little is known about the rubella seroprevalence among pregnant women in China.MethodsThis is a cross-sectional and hospital-based study. From June 2016 through March 2017, a total of 324 serum samples from healthy pregnant women were collected in the Shunyi Women and Children’s Hospital of Beijing Children’s Hospital. Rubella-specific IgG antibody was determined by ELISA (Euroimmun, Lübeck, Germany) kits. International assigned cut-off values of ≥10 IU/ml were used to assess the percentage of pregnant women with protective IgG concentrations.ResultsThe total rate of protected individuals was 83.3% (95% CI: 78.9%–87.0%). The protective rates of pregnant women in 17–26 years group, 27–36 years group and 37–46 years group were 84.0% (95% CI: 75.3%–90.1%), 81.9% (95% CI: 74.9%–87.4%) and 84.9% (95% CI: 75.8%–90.9%) respectively. No significant difference in protective rates among the three age groups was found (P = 0.83). There were also no statistically significant correlations between protective rates and gravidity (P = 0.84), parity (P = 0.84), birth place (P = 0.16), residence area (P = 0.58), education (P = 0.40) or occupation (P = 0.65).ConclusionsDespite the generally low vaccination coverage for rubella, most of Chinese pregnant women had potent rubella immunity. However, at least 16.7% of pregnant women were susceptible to rubella, which suggested rubella immunization in Chinese women at or before child-bearing age.
Highlights
Rubella infection in pregnant women can result in serious effects, such as miscarriages, stillbirths, and congenital rubella syndrome (CRS)
There is no specific treatment for rubella and CRS, but they can be prevented by immunization
International assigned cut-off values of ≥10 International units (IU)/ml were used to assess the percentage of pregnant women with protective Immunoglobulin G (IgG) concentrations, according to previous reports [24, 25]
Summary
Rubella infection in pregnant women can result in serious effects, such as miscarriages, stillbirths, and congenital rubella syndrome (CRS). Rubella infection in pregnant women, especially during the first trimester, can result in miscarriages, stillbirths, and congenital rubella syndrome (CRS), a constellation of birth defects that often includes cataracts, hearing loss, mental retardation, and congenital heart defects [1]. Japan and other countries have been confronted with rubella outbreaks because of the partial vaccination strategy [7, 8]. The MMR (measlesmumps-rubella) vaccine contains live, attenuated viruses for measles, mumps and rubella [9]. To avoid the theoretical risk for fetal complications, MMR vaccine was not administered for pregnant women. In the United States, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommended that non-pregnant women of child-bearing age without evidence of rubella immunity should receive 1 dose of MMR [10]
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